microenvironment

[mahy-kroh-en-vahy-ern-muhnt, -vahy-ruhn-]

noun

1. the environment of a small area or of a particular organism; microhabitat.

microenvironment

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊɪnˌvaɪrənmənt /

noun

1. ecology the environment of a small area, such as that around a leaf or plant

microenvironment

1. The environment of a very small, specific area, distinguished from its immediate surroundings by such factors as the amount of incident light, the degree of moisture, and the range of temperatures. The side of a tree that is shaded from sunlight is a microenvironment that typically supports a somewhat different community of organisms than is found on the side that receives regular light.

2. Also called microhabitat

Other Word Forms

• microenvironmental adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of microenvironment¹

First recorded in 1950–55; micro- + environment

Example Sentences

These biofilms are sticky coatings that wrap around the bacteria, producing a low-oxygen microenvironment suitable for nitrogenase activity.

Read more on Science Daily

Despite the seriousness of these disorders, the contribution of the bone marrow microenvironment to their development has remained unclear.

Read more on Science Daily

In MDS, the inflammatory network within the microenvironment becomes dominant and replaces much of the marrow's normal regenerative structure.

Read more on Science Daily

The work appears alongside a complementary study examining the MDS bone marrow microenvironment, also published in Nature Communications and led by Marc Raaijmakers from Erasmus MC Cancer Institute in Rotterdam.

Read more on Science Daily

"However, when viewed in the context of changes in the T cell and stromal compartments, it underlines the importance of the bone marrow microenvironment in shaping disease progression."

Read more on Science Daily